As Americans across the country fire up their grills for the holiday weekend, it's important to keep in mind the possibility of illnesses from raw meat. This is especially crucial in light of the beef recall that's been in the news lately. The United States Department of Agriculture has collected some tips that I would like to share with you to keep you and your family safe.

1. Just because a meat's color may make it look fully cooked, use a meat thermometer to double-check. Ground beef and hamburgers should have an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. After buying meat, refrigerate it within two hours and within one hour if it's hotter than 90 degrees outside. Also, refrigerate cooked meat within two hours of cooking it.

3. Before and after handling raw meat, wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with hot, soapy water. This also applies to any cookware or utensils used to prepare the food, like dishes and cutting boards. 

4. Keep raw meat separate from food that will not be cooked.

5. For more information or updates in regards to recent meat recalls, you can visit the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service at AskKaren.gov or by calling the USDA's hotline at 888-674-6854.

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Fourth of July weekend and Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Regatta are just around the corner, and people will be out enjoying food, fireworks, friends, and family. Last year I posted a series of blogs on Fourth of July safety, and here are the links if you'd like to check them out:

Alcohol, Driving, and Boating

Fireworks

Picnics

Here are a few of the key points to keep in mind about each of the topics:

Alcohol, Driving, and Boating

• Of the 659 traffic-related fatalities that occurred during the Fourth of July weekend in 2006, 37% of them involved alcohol.

• It's illegal to operate watercraft on Pennsylvania waters while under the influence of alcohol.

• A blood alcohol content of 0.01% increases the risk of death in a boating accident by 30% for both operators and passengers.

Fireworks

• Don't buy fireworks that come in brown paper packaging, because they're often made for professional use and could pose a serious safety risk to amateurs.

• Never allow young children to play with fireworks.

• Children under five are injured by sparklers more often than any other type of fireworks. You may be surprised to know that sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees, which is hot enough to melt some metals.

Picnics

• If you'll be enjoying a pool during your cookout, assign adults to different shifts to monitor pool activity and never use flotation devices as a substitute for supervision.

•  To avoid food poisoning, cook poultry to 165 °F.

• Cook beef, veal and lamb steaks, roasts, and chops to 145 °F.

Have fun and keep safe over the holiday weekend!

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I was happy to read an article in the Tribune Review about the ways in which Pittsburgh officials are continuing to improve pedestrian safety. They're now focusing on the Strip District, where there aren't any stop signs or traffic lights between 11th and 23rd streets.

On Wednesday, city and PennDOT officials acted as "bait," and if a car passed by them while they were in the pedestrian crosswalk, police officers pulled the offending motorists over and issued $105 citations. As the article says, slowing motorists down and getting them to obey laws is becoming increasingly important in this area, since developments like the Cork Factory apartments have upped pedestrian traffic.

Pedestrian accidents can have grave consequences, and there are many spots in and around the city where pedestrians are at an increased risk of being struck by a vehicle. Earlier in the year, Pittsburgh police began strengthening traffic law enforcement the Oakland area, and it's great that they're expanding their efforts.

If you'd like to read more about what's going on in the Strip District, you can check out the article here.

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I don't think that we can talk about home safety enough on this blog. Many of the injuries that people sustain in and around their homes are both serious and preventable, so I think it's important to remind everyone of some basic guidelines every once in a while.

Window falls: Young children are naturally curious and can accidentally fall from a window, especially if your furniture provides an easy climb.

Solution: Purchase and install window guards, which cost less than $30 each.

Window treatment cords: Strangulation can occur if young children can reach and pull on blind and curtain cords.

Solution: Be sure to tie or arrange cords out of reach, in addition to moving furniture so that your children can't climb to grab onto these cords.

Power cords: Electrical burns, strangulation and tripping are all common injuries.

Solution: Try unplugging items used less frequently or moving cords from high-traffic areas. Also, by securing necessary cords, you can prevent tripping or a dangling cord.

Appliance and furniture tip-overs: This can occur when kids pull the electrical cords of appliances like televisions. Dressers are also prone to tip over since they aren't usually secured against a wall.

Solution: Wall mounting kits can secure up to 400 lbs of weight.

Gym equipment: Strangulation from cords, burns from treadmill belts, and injuries from improper use are all possible dangers of gym equipment.

Solution: Be sure to constantly supervise your children around gym equipment. A separate room with a lock is best so that young kids are never in a room alone with equipment meant for adults.

Toy/product recalls: Just because a toy is expected to be safe and child-friendly doesn't mean they are. Lead levels, loose parts, and manufacturing defects can all lead to unsafe children's products.

Solution: Routinely check with the Consumer Product Safety Commission regularly to become familiar with these unsafe products and toys.

Falls: Children and seniors are particularly vulnerable to falls.

Solution: Install grab bars in the tub or shower. Also, keep stairs well-lit and free of clutter and install gates at the top and bottom of stairways. Always use a ladder, not furniture, to reach high areas.

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There's an article in the USA Today that I think is worth mentioning. Many of you may have heard about the devices that can be installed in cars to prevent people from driving drunk. Now some inventors are saying that they have developed technology that will prevent people from using their cell phones while they're driving. If you read this article you'll see that the technology still has a ways to go, but I think it's an interesting proposition nonetheless.

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It was great watching the City of Champions parade from our downtown Pittsburgh offices here on Grant Street. I'm excited that the Stanley Cup is in Pittsburgh and I can't wait for another great Penguins hockey season next year!

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My law firm gets a number of calls from people who are concerned about the car seat and booster seat laws in their state. It can be difficult to find clear, concise summaries of the laws, so we decided to create a car seat and booster seat laws resource page on our website.

On the page you will find a map that links to each state's laws. Because experts have deemed almost half of the state laws to be insufficient, we've also included guidelines suggested by the American Academy of Pediatrics. I encourage everyone to check out the page to make sure you're following the recommended safety guidelines and state laws.

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Medical Costs Responsible for Majority of Bankruptcies

The New York Times recently published an article about a topic that is extremely important – the high and sometimes devastating cost of medical care. The article cites a recent study that found that almost two out of every three bankruptcies stem from medical bills. What's more, this data was collected before the economic crisis, so the numbers are probably much higher now.

What may come as an even bigger surprise is that this doesn't just apply to people without insurance. The study found that among families who were bankrupted by medical costs, those with private insurance reported average medical bills of $17,749, compared to $26,971 for those without insurance. And then there are those people who lost their insurance during the course of their treatment – they incurred an average of $22,568 in costs.

The study found that hospital costs accounted for 48% of expenses, prescription drugs for 18.6%, doctor's bills for 15.1%, and insurance premiums for 4.1%. The conditions that resulted in the highest out-of-pocket expenses were:

1.    Neurologic - $34,167

2.    Diabetes - $26,971

3.    Injuries - $25,096

4.    Stroke - $23,380

5.    Mental illness - $23,178

6.    Heart disease - $21,955

As my law firm has seen time and time again with our clients, not only do people have to deal with the physical and emotional repercussions of being injured or sick, but they also have to worry about their financial well-being. Navigating the medical and insurance systems can be extremely difficult when you're 100% healthy, let alone when you need to focus on your health. Helping our clients secure the money that is so crucial to their recovery and peace of mind is something that we take very seriously.

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